


Year After Year

by plunderheavenblind



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Don’t copy to another site, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 10:46:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17681975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plunderheavenblind/pseuds/plunderheavenblind
Summary: Prompt 8: “I love the presents you got me, but nothing compares to your hugs.”There are many trials that Daiki must get through if he wants to see Ryouta in time for Valentine's Day. Will he make it?





	Year After Year

The skies were an ocean blue by the time Aomine left his apartment, the air bringing about the crisp scent of winter. Despite the chill, the sun was high in the sky, giving off a welcoming warmth that seeped into his bones.

It was the kind of day that Ryouta loved, and Aomine could only smile at the thought of his love basking in the warm sunlight, a blissful look on his face.

Aomine wrapped his scarf loosely around his neck, not willing to let Ryouta see him looking ‘cold’. Not that he ever felt that cold, but since his lover always nagged him because _he_ was cold, Aomine had to bear with the constant fussing.

Walking along the streets, he made his usual way to the shops, hoping he could get even just a few flowers. Imayoshi normally gave him a few days before Valentines off -- and wasn’t that bit of kindness strange coming from him -- but the past few days had been busier than ever at the station. He was surprised that Imayoshi had even given him today off, but the man only gave him a shark-toothed grin.

“Wouldn’t want your lover coming after me if you missed today,” he had said, something genuine in his voice, and Aomine only nodded and accepted it.

He reached Ryouta’s favourite flower shop, the bell ringing a gentle note as he closed the door behind him. There was the old lady arranging the flowers, and she gave Aomine a bright grin when he stepped into her line of sight. 

“Oh, we were worried you wouldn’t make it today!” Aomine let himself be embraced by fragile arms, and he rested his hands on the woman’s back. 

“Sorry, the station’s been busy lately,” he said in greeting, an awkward grin on his lips as the lady flitted around. He watched her pull out a bouquet of flowers from behind the counter, always ready for his arrival. Relieved at how everything seemed to be working out for him, he reached for his wallet - only to find nothing.

“Is something wrong?” The old lady watched as Aomine grew more panicked, patting his coat down until he had to admit to himself that he left his wallet back at home.

“Sorry, I left my money at home,” he shook his head, “I’ll be back after I grab it.”

A wad of money was placed on the counter. “No need, flowers are on me this time.”

Aomine turned to see Kagami beside him, a surecock grin on his face. A scowl appeared at the sight of him, and Aomine snatched the money and shoved it back into Kagami’s hand. “Oi, I don’t need it! I just need to run back and get my wallet.”

“Just accept it, idiot!” Kagami slammed the money back on the counter, wincing when the old lady gave him a frown. “Ah, my bad...but can you please take my money for this ass- uh, idiot for me?”

Clicking her tongue, she accepted the money and handed the bouquet to Aomine despite his protests. “You should let your friend help, Aomine-kun. I’m sure Kise-kun would be most upset at your stubbornness!”

Irritated at how Kagami tried to disguise his laughter with a cough, Aomine could only sigh at how the lady still saw Ryouta as a kind, no-nonsense boy. “Yeah, okay. Thank you.”

Both of them bowed while the lady waved them off. As soon as they exited the shop, Aomine elbowed Kagami in the ribs.

“Fuck, is that how you repay someone for helping out,” Kagami groaned, glaring at Aomine. “See if I ever help you again!”

“Whatever, I’ll pay you back next time I see you,” Aomine said, scratching his nose. “I need to go now, Ryouta will be waiting.”

Kagami shrugged, giving him an awkward shoulder pat and a brief “say hi to Kise for me” before walking off.

A sigh left his lips, and Aomine only hoped that the rest of the day would be simpler.  


Of course, nothing would be that easy for him.

“Shit, get back here you fucker!”

He was running as fast as he could, most likely shoving a few people aside if the screams of anger trailing behind him meant anything, but he couldn’t give a single shit.

Some asshole was running off with his scarf.

The asshole turned a corner, and Aomine almost tripped trying to follow after him, but he regained his balance and continued his chase.

Granted, the asshole didn’t mean to do it, since he had been trying to steal a woman’s purse instead. But for some reason, the asshole panicked when Aomine tried to intervene, and pulled on his scarf too before running off.

Pure, unadulterated anger was fueling Aomine now, his sight tinted red with rage. The flowers still clenched tightly in his hand, Aomine pushed himself to hunt the man down, gaining on him at a rapid pace.

“Once I get my hands on you, I’m gonna rip you apart!”

The man tripped, and Aomine took the opportunity to tackle him to the ground.

“Fucking asshole, fuck you, I hope you eat shit-”

“Just take the purse man, I don’t want it-”

“Where the fuck is my scarf!”

Someone was pulling him back, and Aomine was contemplating fighting the dumbass responsible for getting between him and the asshole. But then he turned to the person, and visibly shrunk down.

“So,” Imayoshi said, baring his teeth in a smile that sent shivers up Aomine’s spine, “taking down bike thieves, Aomine? You can tell us all about it at the station.”

“Fuck,” he muttered beneath his breath, and could hear the thief curse simultaneously.  


It was uncomfortable being on the other side of the bars, but not as uncomfortable as being the target of Imayoshi’s stare.

“Thankfully,” he said, voice deceptively mild, “you didn’t actually beat him up, though your use of force was questionable at best. Really, you only ripped off his jacket and…’retrieved’ the lady’s purse. The fact that the lady in question is speaking out for you is a stroke of luck.”

“Does he have my scarf?” It was the only thing Aomine cared about, and so long as he had it back, he didn’t care about anything else. 

The force of his stare abated, and his sigh made the weight in Aomine’s chest grow heavier. “Sorry, but he said that he dropped it during your pursuit.”

“Fuck.” Aomine slammed his fist against the bench he sat on, biting his lip to try and stop himself from shouting. His eyes stung, and he squeezed them shut. “ _Fuck_.”

He heard the sound of the door opening, and peered up at Imayoshi. The chief didn’t have a smile on his face for once, almost appearing sympathetic for Aomine. 

“Kise would understand, I’m sure,” and he wasn’t wrong, but Aomine still felt like finding that guy again and pummeling him into nothingness. “I can only let you go, but you should go and see him now. I’ll take care of the report this once.”

Letting out a shaky breath, Aomine forced himself to stand up and go, saying a quick thanks to Imayoshi. He paused at the door.

“The flowers?”

“...Pretty much ruined. Sorry.”

Aomine left before something worse could happen. He looked out at the sky, and froze.

The sun was starting to set. He was further away from Ryouta now, because the station was opposite to where Aomine had been headed for. His stupid scuffle resulted in the the flowers being destroyed, his scarf getting lost, and him being even further away from Ryouta. The day that started off the way Ryouta would’ve loved it to, was ending before Aomine could do anything.

This time he couldn’t even pretend that his eyes weren’t stinging. So he sat himself on a bench at a park opposite to the station, and just rested his head in his hands.

Minutes passed by as he willed the tears to not fall, until he heard a voice.

“Mister, don’t cry." 

He lifted his head up, and came face to face with a little girl with golden eyes. He stared at her, and she ducked her head down, holding out a sunflower.

“Here, no more crying!” She pushed the flower into his face, and he held it automatically.

“Ahh...thanks.” Aomine wiped his eyes in as discreet a manner as possible, giving the girl a shaky smile. “You’re a good kid. I won’t cry anymore, so you run along.” 

The girl beamed, and the familiar light instantly hit Aomine in the heart. She ran off to a tall man, who turned and waved at Aomine before holding hands with the girl and walking off.

Aomine took a deep breath, slapping himself on the face and standing up. The single sunflower in hand, he marched back to the streets.

It was Valentine’s Day - there had to be a taxi around here.

So he stalked up and down the road, hoping for a taxi to pass by at any moment. He startled at the sound of a muffled yip, and glanced down to see a small golden retriever.

He bent down to pat it, when-

“My scarf!"

Dirty and somewhat frayed, the scarf was held in the mouth of the pup. The retriever yipped again, tail wagging furiously as Aomine pried the scarf out of its mouth. The sudden but joyful laugh burst out of Aomine, and he hugged the pup, letting it nuzzle him with all the enthusiasm and love it could give him.

“You’re a good doggie, such a good doggie!”

“Arf!”

He chuckled as the pup tried to lick him on the face, his smile not dissipating even when he heard a worried shout.

“Hey, Hikari! Stop attacking people!”

A blonde-haired girl with a large chest ran up to them, huffing as she struggled to catch the pup that leapt at her. Aomine stood up, no longer hampered by the pup’s weight, and she turned to him.

“I am sooo sorry, she’s still getting trained and she just suddenly ran off with some random scarf...oh, is it yours?”

He held up the scarf like a trophy, unable to stop himself from showing it off. “Yeah, your pup’s amazing.”

“It’s kind of ugly - I mean, not that it’s really ugly, just. Ah, I’m sorry, it must be important to you!” Flustered, the girl gave a swift bow. But Aomine could only look at the scarf, a fond light in his eyes.

“Nah, you’re right. It’s ugly as fuck.” The girl sent a weirded-out look his way, but he waved it off, turning around after giving the pup another pat. “Anyways, don’t be too hard on Hikari. She gave me back something really important to me, so I’m grateful.”

Aomine tied the scarf securely around his neck, and even though it was gross with dirt and dog saliva, it was still the most precious thing he owned. Flower in hand and scarf safely on him, he continued on his search for a taxi with lightness in his steps, something in his heart telling him that today would be okay. 

Sure enough, there was a lone cab around the corner. The driver inside was lounging back, almost hitting his head on the ceiling when Aomine thumped his hand against the window.

“What the-”

“Hey, I need a ride to this place,” he showed the man the street on his phone, watching his eyes scan the address, “can you take me? There’s someone I need to see.”

“Oh...sure sure, of course, right away.”

Aomine smiled, entering the cab. As soon as the man started driving, his leg began to shake, that eager feeling giving way to a strange nervousness.

He couldn’t wait to tell Ryouta about everything, even though he could already his laughter in his head.

As soon as they reached their destination, Aomine remembered his forgotten wallet. He groaned, hoping he can convince the man to wait while he asked the familiar figure waiting at the gates for money, but the man just shook his head.

“It’s on me, you better get going.”

Grateful for the kindness, Aomine bowed his head a bit, almost jogging to the gate in his haste. The woman waiting was laughing, raising a brow at his disheveled appearance.

“Cutting it a bit close, Aomine-san. Go on, he’s waiting for you like usual.” She gestured where Ryouta would be, and he thanked the woman as he passed through.

He waved at the custodian, marching through the gates with his head held high. Despite everything and everyone trying to stop him, he somehow reached Ryouta before nightfall, and he couldn’t help feeling proud of himself.

He made it. 

He found Ryouta easily, his legs carrying him to his usual spot. Aomine didn’t hesitate to plunk himself on the ground beside him, careful not to drop the flower even as he sprawled out.

“Ahh,” he sighed, finally letting himself relax, “sorry ‘bout the wait, I had to go through a bunch of shit today to get here. You should be grateful I even made it after everything. Bakagami says hi, by the way.”

A grin settling on his face, he chuckled to himself. “Fuck, today was horrible. I got arrested by Imayoshi. _Imayoshi_. It was all ‘cause of this asshole, he stole the scarf you made me and shit, even the flowers I got you were ruined. Turns out the guy lost your scarf while I was chasing him. I almost killed the bastard.”

He paused to let the words sink in before continuing on. “I know, I shouldn’t pick fights, but he started it first alright! Don’t go giving me that pouty look, it’s not cute.”

Scoffing to himself, he rolled his eyes. “Alright, you are kind of cute. Still, it was a bad day...but I got you a flower.”

Aomine placed the sunflower in front of Ryouta, smiling at how it seemed to brighten up with Ryouta beside it. “Technically, it was a little girl that got it for you, but since I delivered it, just pretend it’s from me alright? Oh yeah, and there was a dog that looked just like you, had a cuter face though. She found the scarf and,” he reached up and gripped the scarf tight, “well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you sent her over to help me. Thanks, Ryouta.”

Silence answered him, and Aomine could only turn his eyes upwards to the sky. He leaned against warm stone, and let out a breath.

“You know, I love the presents you got me, but nothing compares to your hugs. I miss them the most, I think.”

A gentle wind blew by, ruffling Aomine’s hair the way Ryouta would. He let out a laugh, and could swear that the setting sun felt warmer for that single moment.

“I’ll pretend that was your way of hugging me, idiot. Even now, you still manage to be a shit.”

Relishing in the comfortable silence, he sat against the stone and watched the sun go down, hoping that it would stay just above the horizon forever. He wasn’t ready to go, but then again, he never was.

Aomine sighed. He got up slowly, his hand brushing against the name engraved into the headstone.

“Love you, Ryouta. I’ll visit again soon, I promise.”

Forcing back the tears that threatened to show themselves, Aomine grinned. “Maybe I’ll bring the others next time, we can play some basketball yeah?”

He laughed, because he could still feel the lingering warmth just beneath his skin, and knew it was Ryouta trying to comfort him. “Don’t worry bout me, you just take care of yourself up there. Keep practising, or I’ll kick your ass when it’s my turn, okay?”

With one last wave, Aomine turned away, his heart lighter now that he got to see Ryouta again. But before he left, he glanced back, sending one last smile to the figure at the corner of his eyes.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Ryouta.”

**Author's Note:**

> Uhhh, this is my first entry for a vday comp that the aokise discord has started~ I'm probably earlier than everyone else, but whatever! It's the luck of timezones babes :3
> 
> Hmm, I guess this is for Coco (kaikazecchi on tumblr?) but since she almost never uses her ao3 account, I'll just tell her this is a gift XD 
> 
> Sorry for any broken hearts? Yeah, never mind I'm not sorry :D
> 
> (Also: Go ahos!!! You know who you are ;3)


End file.
